Toothbrush holder



Dec.- 11, 1928. 1,694,941 G. E. c. HILL TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Filed Dec. 20,l26

Patented Dec. 11, 192s.

. UNITED STATES 1,694,941 PATENT orrics.

' GEORGE E. C. HILL, 0F NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK.

TOOTI-IBRUSH HOLDER.

: Application filed December 20, 1926. Serial No. 155,994.

This invention relates to a tooth brush holder and more particularly toa tooth brush holder which is adapted to receive and enclose thebristled end of a tooth brush and thereby prevent contamination thereoffrom impurities in the air.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a tooth brush holderwhich is simple and inexpensive to make and install, and which serves toadequately protect the tooth brush from contamination.

A further aim is to provide such a holder which can quickly and easilybe taken apart and'the parts thoroughly cleaned and then readilyreassembled.

Still further objects are to provide for proper ventilation anddrainage, and to provide such a holder which is reliable in operationand in which the tooth brush cannot be so inserted as to becomedifficult to remove.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the cover portion or supporting platefor the holder. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the body portionthereof. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the glass floor portion of myholder. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the door or trap for removablysupporting the brush head. Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectionof the tooth brush holder. Figure 6 is a horizontal section on line 6-6,Fig. 5. 1 Similar reference numerals indicate. like parts in the severalfigures.

The tooth brush holder is made of several parts, each part beingremovably held in place, to permit ready dismantling of the holder toclean the same. The main body portion 7 is preferably made of celluloidor the like and has vertical side walls 8, 9, a front wall 10, and a topwall 11, the top and front walls being preferably curved to form acontinuous surface, and the rear and under-sides of the casing beingpreferably open. At its rear end the upper wall is formed to provide avertical transverse upwardly projecting flange 12, and at the lower endof the body a similar downwardly projectingflange 13 is provided,theseufianges being adapted to co-operate with a wall plate 14; tosupport the body portion thereon. The wall plate 14 is made of a singlepiece of celluloid, the upper and lower ends 15 of which are reverselyformed to provide slideways which receive the flanges 12 and centeredrelation to the wall plate, the opposite vertical edges of this plateare formed to provide forwardly projecting beads 16 over which the bodyportion must be sprung when removed or attached to the wall plate. Tosecure the wall plate to the wall W or other suitable surface, the plateis provided within the portion covered by the body portion with a pairof screw holes 17 through which screws are passed into the wall.important that the heads of the screw be countersunk so as not tointerfere with the transverse'movement of the body portion 7, and forthis purpose the edges 18 of the beads 16 may be carried rearwardlybeyond the rear face of the plate, and the plate adj acent the screwholes may be recessed rearwardly to permit the outer ends of the screwsto be arranged in rear of the front face of the wall plate.

To present a smooth surface, the edges of the side walls 8 and 9adjacent the open rear end of the body are preferably provided withflanges 19, and at its open under side the body is provided withinwardly projecting horizontal side flanges 20, and front and rearflanges 21 and 22, which fianges 20, 21 and 22 support a floor member 23upon which the bristled end of the tooth brush is supported within thebody portion. 7

This floor member is preferably made of glass or other hard and smoothsurfaced molded material, and as best shown in Fig. 3 is provided at itsfront end with an opening 24 through which the head of the tooth brush25 may be passed upwardly into the holder. This vfloor member extendsfrom the front wall 10 of the, body portion 7 to the wall plate 14: andis thereby confined within the body portion by the wall plate but isfreely movable rearwardly out of the body portion when it is desired tocleanthe floor. Upward displacement of the floor is prevented byproviding indentations in the side walls 7 and 8 immediately above thefloor member. The bristles of the tooth brush, as shown in Fig. 5, reston the rear part of this floor member, and toprovide for drainage of thebristles through the opening 24, the floor is recessed at the rear It isend of the opening as shown at 29, and the bottom thereof slants towardthe opening.

The head of the tooth brush is held with in the body of the holder by atrap door 26 which is movable "ertically and normally rests in aposition extending across the opening 24. This door is slightly lessthan the width of the opening and at its front end is formed to provideoutwardly projecting pivot pins 27. These pins are received in groovesor,recesses 28 provided in the underside of the floor at the front endof the opening 24, and are confined in these grooves by the flanges 20which support the floor. The door extends upwardly and rearwardly fromits pivoted end and the rear end of the door rests in the recess 29, theouter portion of the door being thereby arranged below the upper side ofthe floor and permitting free removal of the floor from the body. Topermit the door to rest upon the floor when a tooth brush is confinedwithin the holder, the rear end thereof is bifurcated to form two arms31 which closely straddle the neck of the tooth brush and therebysubstantially seal the entire opening when the tooth brush is in theholder. For the purpose of limiting the upward movement of the door andensuring its falling rearwardly over the opening 24, the grooves 28 arearranged slightly forwardly from the front end of the opening 24 and thefront edge of this opening inclines forwardly and downwardly therebyforming an inclined shoulder 32 which acts as a stop for the door.

Adequate ventilation of the tooth brush confined within the holder isobtained by vents provided in the front wall 10, these vents beingformed by offsetting the celluloid of the wall forwardly to form louvers33 which open downwardly and prevent settling dust and other impuritiesfrom entering the holder and contaminating the brush.

In use the bristled end of the tooth brush with the bristles extendingrearwardly is passed upwardly through the opening 24, thereby openingthe trap door 26. The brush is then moved rearwardly, the trap doorcloses, and the brush, resting with its bristles .in the recess 29 ofthe floor member, confined within the holder. To remove the brush. thebrush is moved upwardly and forwardly, thereby opening the trap and thebrush can thereupon be readily withdrawn downwardly from the holder. Theheight of the holder is so proportioned that if an atempt is made toinsert the tooth brush with its bristles extending forwardly, the trapdoor is unable to clear the bristles and close, and the brush, having nosupport will not be held by the holder.

Vhile a tooth brush holder designed to hold a single tooth brush isshown and described, it is obvious that the features of this inventionmay be employed in the construction of a holder confining a plurality ofbrushes side by side, and the invention therefore embraces allmodifications within the limits of the appended claims.

As a whole this invention provides a very simple, reliable andinexpensive construction, which is readily dismantled, cleaned andreassembled; it protects the brush against contamination and providesfor proper draining and ventilation of the damp brush confined therein.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tooth brush holder comprising an open sided body portion, asupporting member for said body portion, a floor portion removablyconfined in said body portion and retained therein by said supportingmember, said floor portion being slidable through the open side of saidbody portion, and means carried by said floor portion for removablysupporting the bristled end of a tooth brush within said body portion.

2. A tooth brush holder comprising a body portion, a floor portioncarried by said body portion, said floor and body portions being formedto permit the removal and insertion of the bristled end of a toothbrush, and a vertically movable member for removably supporting saidbrush within said body, said vertically movable member having pivotalprojections confined between said floor and body portions.

A tooth brush holder comprising an open sided body portion, a coverportion engaging said body portion, a floor portion slidingly arrangedwithin said body portion and confined therein by engagement with saidcover portion, said floor and body por tions being formed to permit theremoval and insertion of the bristled end of a tooth brush, and meansfor removably supporting said brush within said body, said supportingmeans having anchoring portions confined between said floor and bodyportions.

4. A tooth brush holder comprising an enclosing casing having an openingin its underside, a floor portion confined within said casing over saidopening and having an aperture adapted to permit the removal andinsertion of the bristled end of a tooth brush into said casing, and adoor arranged within said aperture, one end of said door being pivotallysecured between said casing and floor portion, and the other end restingby gravity on the upper side of said floor portion.

5. A structure as specified in claim 4 wherein said floor portion isformed to limit the upward movement of said door.

6. A tooth brush holder comprising a body portion having an openunderside, inwardly projecting flanges provided at said open underside.a floor ortion supported on said flanges and confined thereon byindentations provided in said body portion above said floor portion,said floor portion being portion, means for supporting the bristledapertured to permit insertion and removal of the bristled end of a toothbrush and being provided on its underside at one end of said aperturewith transverse grooves, a vertically movable door arranged obliquely insaid aperture, said door being formed'at one end to provide laterallyextending pivot pins adapted to be confined in said grooves, and saiddoor being formed at its other end to provide arms adapted to embracethe-handle of a tooth brush. and rest upon said floor, and said floorbeing recessed to permit said projections to rest below the surface ofsaid i floor and to drain said tooth brush.

7 A tooth brush holder comprising a body end of a tooth brush Withinsaid body portion, and means for securing-said body portion to a Wallcomprising a plate adapted to be secured to the Wall, vertical flangesprovided at the upper and lower sides of said body portion at the rearend thereof, the upper and lower ends of said-plate being reverselyformed and slidingly receiving said flanges, said plate being providedat opposite sides with vertical forwardly projeoting beads adapted toconfine said body portion in centered relation to said plate;

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE E. C. HILL.

